Navigating a traditional home can be nearly impossible for someone in a wheelchair or who uses a walker or cane. Whether your family member has a temporary or long-term disability, making your home handicap-accessible requires quite a bit of effort. Many features that you probably don't give a second thought to, such as stairs or narrow doorways, are a serious challenge for disabled individuals. Creating a home that's easier for a disabled family member to live in will make everyone feel more comfortable.

Exterior Entrance

For disabled people, entering a home is usually the biggest challenge. Whether they're in a wheelchair, using a walker or relying on a cane, navigating stairs is extremely difficult. To make your home handicap-accessible, you must have at least one entrance without stairs. In many cases, the front entrance is the most convenient entry to the home. If it already has steps, add a ramp over them to make it easier to enter in a wheelchair or with a walker or cane. Before adding the ramp, check local building codes or community regulations to make sure you're permitted to build it.

Plan the dimensions of the ramp -- it must be 36 inches wide, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, which also recommends a a maximum height of 30 inches and maximum slope of 1:12, one foot long per inch of climb. This means that to come off the ground 24 inches, you will need a 24-foot ramp. Include handrails in the design to make the ramp safer, and choose a ramp material that offers good traction in all weather. Composite materials are often the best option. If you're not comfortable building your own ramp, which must be stable and strong enough to hold a wheelchair, work with a contractor who specializes in handicap-accessible construction projects.

Doorways

Inside the house, doorways typically pose the biggest issue for the handicapped. To allow a wheelchair or walker to pass through, your doors should all have openings of at least 32 inches. If the doorway is located in spot where a wheelchair must be turned into the hallway, the opening should be at least 36 inches. Swinging doors often pose a problem if there's not enough clearance on the side of the door with the knob. You can have automatic door openers installed, but they are quite costly. Instead, you may want to use pocket doors, which slide open horizontally. In addition, make sure your thresholds rise only 1/2 inch or less from the floor and are rounded so it's easier for a wheelchair to pass over them.

A300 mobile placeholder

Bathroom

If you want your home to be handicap-accessible, there should be a bathroom on the main floor so no stairs are required. Forgo a traditional tub and opt for a shower instead, making sure the frame allows a wheelchair to be rolled in. The shower should also be equipped with a seat and grab bars. Outfit the shower with a handheld head for easier washing. Grab bars should be added beside the toilet as well. A higher toilet is easier for disabled individuals to use, so either replace your existing model with a higher model or add a raised seat. You'll also want to lower the sink so anyone in a wheelchair can reach it more easily. Removing the vanity and mounting the sink to the wall is usually the best option. You may want to replace your faucets as well; a lever style is easier to use than traditional knob faucets. Consider equipping the sink with an anti-scald temperature control to help prevent possible accidents.

Kitchen

To make your kitchen handicap-accessible, clear the center of the room so there's space for a wheelchair or walker to turn around. You may need to lower your counters because traditional counter tops are placed at a height of 36 inches. Lowering them to 33 inches makes it much easier for individuals in a wheelchair to reach. Just as in the bathroom, lever style faucets and anti-scald controls are a good idea for the kitchen sink. When it comes to appliances, opt for a side-by-side refrigerator so the freezer can be reached from a wheelchair. You can also opt for a range with front controls that are easy to reach.

References

Photo Credits

Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images

About the Author

Based in New York City, Jennifer Blair has been covering all things home and garden since 2001. Her writing has appeared on BobVila.com, World Lifestyle, and House Logic. Blair holds a Bachelor of Arts in Writing Seminars from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.